Pathfinder Chronicles: Gods & Magic (OGL)

Creators of life, forgers of worlds, and rulers of reality—these are the gods and goddesses of the world. They have existed for eons. The countless worlds of the Great Beyond are their playgrounds and battlefields. Yet for all their vast power, it is not the gods of Golarion who shape nations and write history—this task falls instead to their greatest creations: the mortal races of the world. It is through their priests and paladins, their clerics and cultists that the gods make their will known in this world, be it for good or ill.

In Gods and Magic, you will learn not only of the core twenty deities of the Pathfinder Chronicles campaign setting, but of a multitude of other deities whose flocks, while smaller and more isolated, have just as much potential for greatness. Yet this book isn’t just for clerics—religion and faith are important factors in the lives of many, be they stalwart paladins, brave rangers, mysterious druids, or dedicated monks. Even those whose talents lie beyond the divine, such as the scholarly wizard or the god-fearing barbarian, find that faith has its advantages.

Within this 64-page book you will find:

Detailed descriptions of the core twenty deities of the Pathfinder Chronicles campaign setting, complete with symbols and full illustrations

Details on over 40 additional deities, including the gods of dwarves and elves, gnomes and halflings, giants and dragons, and more

Over 20 new spells associated with the most powerful religions, yet usable by both arcane and divine spellcasters

Dozens of new magic items keyed to the world’s religions, ranging from minor trinkets to powerful artifacts

We'll have illustrations of all 20 of our core deities in this book. Each of these 20 deities will have a 2 page entry, similar in style to the new monsters we've done in the Pathfinder Bestiary. The main difference is, of course, that the gods don't have huge stat blocks; their "stat blocks" will be relatively short and contain info like domains, areas of concern, favored weapons, holy days, etc. The rest is gonna be flavor and crunch; I believe we're going to aim to have a new spell for each deity for clerics, for example. Then, in the later third of the book, we'll have lots of symbols and other illustrations relating to various lesser faiths and magic spells and items tied to the world's religions.

But the cornerstone of the book will indeed be those 20 full-body illustrations of the core 20 deities. Some of them have already started coming in and they look neat!

From Sean K Reynolds-

Sean K Reynolds wrote:

The book doesn't have enough room to do prestige classes for the faiths; we're reserving that for the PF articles, which can devote 6-8 pages to a particular deity.

Basically the breakdown of deity writeups is like this:
1) Super-short entries or one-column writeups like in the PFCS. This is the bare-bones you'd need to run a worshiper of this deity.
2) Moderate-length entries, like in Gods & Magic. Gives more info, a custom spell, and extra flavor. This is what I'd consider the "standard" writeup for a deity.
3) Full articles about a single deity, such as the ones for Abadar, Lamashtu, and Desna. Here's where you get tons of extra info, such as descriptions of celestial or infernal servants, a prestige class/substitution class levels, stat block for the herald, a new spell or two, myths, aphorisms, etc. ... you probably won't get a more extensive official writeup of a Golarion deity unless private investors get involved. ;)
The G&M book gives each of the 20 major deities a 2-page writeup, an illustration of the deity, a new spell unique to that faith, basic tenets of the faith, a summary of typical worshipers, positive and negative intervention, a description of the Herald, names of several noteworthy supernatural servants, relations with other deities, what sort of classes may become priests of the church, duties and responsibilities of priests, specialized skill or feat requirements for priests, a description of a typical day in the life of a priest, a description of a typical temple, when daily prayers occur, the power structure of a particular temple and its relation to other temples of the church, ritual garb/formal raiment, typical practices in a religious service, and a new minor magic item.
For the other gods of Golarion (such as Groetus and the other "minor" gods mentioned in the PFCS, as well as the giant & dragon deities from PF#4 and the minor deities of the prominent races) the book expands upon these writeups (and in the case of the giant and dragon deities, summarizes that info, as we don't want people to have to rely on two books) and gives a little more info on the minor deities that have only been name-dropped so far. Most of these get a minor magic item as well.
The magic items chapter also has some info on a few artifacts, some of which were mentioned briefly in earlier issues of PF.

This sounds like it's going to be a great book. I'm especially eager for more info on the darker deities like Lamashtu, Urgathoa, and Rovagug.

How much longer before it's available?

If I recall in another Post James said this one would like ship end of Oct or early Nov unless i am misremembering things. I have it on preorder and it says shipping in Nov.

According to the product schedule, it's a late October release. That's when it'll be shipped to subscribers and retailers. Regular customers should probably be able to get it a week or two after if things follow their normal pattern.

I got the book I got the book! Well... not the book itself but I got the PDF and I've gone over a good chunk of it already! I have to say, as usual the fluff is top notch. Paizo gets an A+ for all things fluff. I was hoping for a little more or some new information on deities covered in the Pathfinder volumes but I can understand the reasoning behind recycling all that information.

Alas the crunch is a solid D- or an F even. No offense to Paizo but I don't think you guys have ever really grasped crunch. I'm not looking for a third level spell that can slay thousands or a magic enchantment that costs 250gp but is easily a game breaker but I want a little more bang for my buck. Or at least spells and items that are comparable to their core equivalents. Now, as a critique bear in mind my comments on the negative are going to have more bulk text-wise than the positive, but what it comes down to is things like... well... the best and most immediate example is the spell Burst of Glory.

Who would cast such a thing?

How has a spell that's maybe a two level upgrade of the Bless spell (if that) get to be level 5 and what is my incentive to pray for that spell rather than any other spell of that level that is far more useful? Was it a typo and you really meant to say it was a Clr3/Pal2 spell? I should hope so as I cannot see anything that screams 5th level spell. Duration is... well... nothing special. You get the effects of a bless spell and you glow like a torch as well as give people your level worth of hp, which you'd be doing at a level where even 20 bonus hp begins to matter little. It's, well, it's things like this that kind of dampen my enthusiasm for Pathfinder products. I'm still going to buy everyone that comes off the press that I can get my grubby paws on but, with the title being what it was I was hoping that there'd be a little more sense to the magic. Instead you have a spell that I think even the most anti-powergaming player would arch a brow at when looking at it's level.

Unless I'm blind and I'm missing something here that makes up for the lack of anything substantial in the spell.

I could analyze a few others but I'm tired and have a mere five hours of sleep ahead of me so I'll pass. Still, is there any chance of seeing change in this regard? Or are we out of luck when it comes to Pathfinder flavored crunch?

Anyway, that's my concern about the book, it's kind of a concern about the product trend in general. Gods I love the flavor I get from pathfinder, it's simply delicious, this has been one of the most inspiring and interesting worlds I've seen in my time playing D&D. I've seen little wrong with it there if anything. I don't want splat books filled with broken crunch, but I wouldn't mind if what little crunch you guys put into your books showed the same thoughtfulness, consideration and quality as you guys show the fluff and story design.

I am really motivated to write full review about Gods & Magic later on, but let me just say one thing here right now: The illustrations of the gods are just beautiful beyond words. Really really good.

I mean, Shelyn is just gorgeous, and all without being an anorectic blonde. Gorum is suitably scary and imposing, and we have no "Dieties and Demigods"-type duds here. Fluff seems good, though naturally i have not yet fully gotten it all. Crunch is also still "not read and digested".

How has a spell that's maybe a two level upgrade of the Bless spell (if that) get to be level 5 and what is my incentive to pray for that spell rather than any other spell of that level that is far more useful? Was it a typo and you really meant to say it was a Clr3/Pal2 spell? I should hope so as I cannot see anything that screams 5th level spell. Duration is... well... nothing special. You get the effects of a bless spell and you glow like a torch as well as give people your level worth of hp, which you'd be doing at a level where even 20 bonus hp begins to matter little. It's, well, it's things like this that kind of dampen my enthusiasm for Pathfinder products. I'm still going to buy everyone that comes off the press that I can get my grubby paws on but, with the title being what it was I was hoping that there'd be a little more sense to the magic. Instead you have a spell that I think even the most anti-powergaming player would arch a brow at when looking at it's level.

Bless gives you a morale bonus[/i]. Morale bonuses are quite common.

Burst of glory gives you a sacred bonus. Sacred bonuses are quite rare ... there are TWO spells in the PH that give a sacred bonus, and they're both to turn undead checks, not attack rolls. There are ZERO magic items that give sacred bonuses in the DMG, period.

By the time you're the level to cast this spell, you probably have at least 3 different sources for a +1 morale bonus. You have ZERO other sources for a sacred bonus to attack rolls. So if you're looking for an extra +1 to hit, this spell is for you. The extra hit points are just gravy. And there are no Clr5 or Pal4 spells that give multiple allies bonuses in combat.

So Iomedae, who is a goddess of leadership and valor, has a unique buff spell that can turn your typical Ftr1 grunt troops (5 hp) into seasoned troops (14 hp!). It may not be the spell your adventuring cleric or paladin casts every combat, but if you're defending the city wall, it's a great spell to have in your arsenal. It's the sort of thing that can turn the tide of battle, something the people of the city will talk about for years to come. To quote Shakespeare:

"He that shall live this day, and see old age,
Will yearly on the vigil feast his neighbours,
And say 'To-morrow is Saint Crispian:'
Then will he strip his sleeve and show his scars.
And say 'These wounds I had on Crispin's day.'
Old men forget: yet all shall be forgot,
But he'll remember with advantages
What feats he did that day....
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition:
And gentlemen in England now a-bed
Shall think themselves accursed they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day"

(Sorry, this Saturday is Saint Crispin's Day, so I was already thinking about this quote and had to use it!)

Unfortunately, the confusion over Desna's domains seems to be continued on in this book. Her last domain after Chaos, Good, Liberation, and Luck should be Travel, not Protection. The Campaign Setting had it right, but her spread in Gods & Magic has it wrong.

A small error in an otherwise amazing book (well, at least the PDF), but given my personal favoring of Desna (don't tell Her Infernal Majestrix!), it was something I noticed.

So Iomedae, who is a goddess of leadership and valor, has a unique buff spell that can turn your typical Ftr1 grunt troops (5 hp) into seasoned troops (14 hp!). It may not be the spell your adventuring cleric or paladin casts every combat, but if you're defending the city wall, it's a great spell to...

cof cof

err...

GAH!!!!!

I WANT IT! I WANT IT! I WANT IT!
snif 7 level cleric?
ok my cleric can wait... first the book
i am waiting for my book
can i get my book now? :D

See, I've just read through all the crunch in this book over my lunch break and I love it. In particular Infernal Healing, Pick Your Poison and Defending Bone struck me as really very strong spells, not to mention some really handy access to spells early/from different spell lists depending on your god. Burst of Glory is kind of high level but it's intended as an awesome mook buff for commander types that stacks with Bless, rather than a spell for party use (which is why I'd prefer it to have a nice big burst radius rather than the usual small one, but hey ho).

Some of the items are meh, sure, but they're all pretty cheap so whatever your deity, if you've got the slot free and a few grand spare then they're cool to pick up. Some, like the Dawnflower Sash are pretty damn useful. Pallid Crystal is just beyond awesome, as long as your GM lets you take either it or your wisdom item in an alternate slot, it's a no-brainer for clerics of Urgathoa.
But yeah, whilst there are a handful of spells and items that don't strike me as particularly good (Poisoned Egg and Deathlurker's Cloak spring to mind), everything's really flavourful and there's enough useful stuff in there that I'm perfectly happy.

I'd just like to add my voice to those saying how gorgeous this book is too. I love the portraits of every single god, and it's so refreshing to have an illustration of a woman (the goddess of beauty no less) with a proper figure. I get so bored of the unrealistic waif with oversized breasts look that seems to be the modern ideal of beauty. I can't wait to get my hardcopy so I can read it from cover to cover rather than skimming through and write a proper review.
Also, this book is sooooooooo damn creepy, though despite Lamashtu, Urgathoa and Zon-Kuthon's lovely contributions to the pantheon I admit it was the idea of Calistria's "Hypersexualised chaos beast" that really squicked me out *shudders*

By the time you're the level to cast this spell, you probably have at least 3 different sources for a +1 morale bonus. You have ZERO other sources for a sacred bonus to attack rolls. So if you're looking for an extra +1 to hit, this spell is for you. The extra hit points are just gravy. And there are no Clr5 or Pal4 spells that give multiple allies bonuses in combat.

So Iomedae, who is a goddess of leadership and valor, has a unique buff spell that can turn your typical Ftr1 grunt troops (5 hp) into seasoned troops (14 hp!). It may not be the spell your adventuring cleric or paladin casts every combat, but if you're defending the city wall, it's a great spell to have in your arsenal. It's the sort of thing that can turn the tide of battle, something the people of the city will talk about for years to come.

ok, now i read the spell, i still like it...

but Sean, as you mention this spell is to hip a croud into a fighting force, i see the cleric of Iomedae calling the favor of her godess and rising the moral and progress of those around her.

while i understand why the shortness (for the level it is i would have gone at least for a 1 min/level, but its ok), but what really feels like pushes it down is the range... in a normal area its only able to affect about dozen people and the cleric (a few more if there are people above or below her or both, and yes trying to grab as much as you can of the 10 feet range)

still it would have been nicer either a duration of 1 min/level or that it affected a 30 feet radious

while a short force of a dozen people can hold a gateway, a squad formed form a 30 feet would really eba able to turn the tide of a battle (still a high level general would slice throught them like butter, but i suppose the cleric is there for the heroic fight of champions one on one)

PS: yes i love this kind of siegue, war and battle scenarios, so i am thinking in the future of theneed to use it.

Aside of that Sean!
ok... i can say congratulation because it would sound odd... but i want to thank you for the beautiful work you gave us... what i have read from Gods & Magic is wonderful...

I have been playing a Cleric of Iomedae for about 3 months and reading today about the clergy of Iomedae i was surprised that i have been playing her quite close to what you write about their behaviour, she would even work in what the high schelons of her church have been trouble getting clerics to do... as Eclesiastic Investigator, she would take such unpopular job without thinking it twice :)

Just got the print edition yesterday (along with D4 and the latest AP mod).

Excellent work Sean, Im so glad you are doing stuff with Paizo. One request if I may.... write another module!
Lost Temple of Demogorgon is still one of my faves from Dungeon mag. I wouldnt mind seeing more modules penned by you.

I admit that I nowadays I tend to err on the conservative side for building spell effects. It's always easier to tell a player, "that spell you sorta liked is going to be better from now on" than "that spell you always used is getting squashed because it's broken." I think you'd be safe bumping the area to 30 feet or the duration to 1 minute/level, but I'd try it in play at the listed values first just to see.

1) Part of my so very much missed the old 1e notion of different Clerics having spells at this or that level, or an occasional spell from another spell list, or some unusual effect when they cast spell X. Part of me fears where this is going, but heck, might as well enjoy the ride!

2) Unique Cleric spells! Gods, how I loathe the idea of spells that I can't have (unless I play a Cleric of X). But hey, some of them are pretty darn spiffy! Abadar's spells are thematic and neat. Asmodeus' spell is pretty nice. Urgathoa's spell is like Hold Person, but not as good, and might waste a perfectly good corpse you wanted to animate, but hey, they can't all be winners.

3) Poor Nethys. The god of magic gets no love. Everybody else grants three to four new spells, or spells at improved levels, or spells with improved effects, and you? You get a *restriction!* *And* you get to tithe a magic item annually for the priviledge of getting robbed!

4) Urgathoa's modification to Remove Disease is pretty hot. I'm playing Clerics of Urgathoa, Nethys and Asmodeus in various games, so I really pored over these particular writeups. (Sigh. Poor Nethys. You suck!)

5) The artwork for Shelyn has inspired a bit of setting detail in me, about how the upper classes of Absalom and Taldane prefer their women to be full-figured, or, to coin a phrase, 'Shelyn-esque.' It's a status thing, indicating that their families (or husbands) are treating them well and providing for their needs (and that they are both classy enough and sophisticated enough to property enjoy the fruits of their station, and secure enough in their superior social position to show off their wealth). Particularly thin women in their circles are regarded as 'poor' since they clearly aren't being treated right by whomever is depriving them so, or perhaps sickly, explaining their bony appearance, or, worst of all, perhaps simply the sorts of people who are grasping and never satisfied, unable to properly display the rewards of their status, with a reputation for shrewishness and never being satisfied. Heavyset individuals are seen as successful both because they can afford the finest cuisines (in bulk) and because they clearly don't have to break their backs doing physical labor, like a menial! A double-standard exists, and thin men aren't quite as looked-down-upon in society, but still, a merchant or courtier with a noticeable pot-belly is believed to have 'done well for himself.'

6) I seriously look forward to seeing Pathfinder-ized versions of Scalykind (a Domain I've always loved, because it's just fun to have contrictor snakes, vipers, monitor lizards and crocodiles as Rebuked flunkies) and Void. I imagine that Scalykind, like Air, Earth, Fire, Plant and Water, will no longer come with free Command Critters, but hopefully it will retain some coolness (like the new Animal Domain, which is quite nice!).

7) New minor gods! Alseta and Brigh both intrigue me a lot, as both sound insanely cool! Ketephys the Hunter reminds me a bit of Trithereon, one of my absolute favorite Greyhawk dieties, perhaps with a dash of Solonor or Shevarash... The other elven gods are also intriguing, as are the Scalefolk gods.

8) Magic items! The Cloak of the Dark Tapestry reminds me (in a good way!) of the Mantle of Celestian. Very cool. The Dawnflower Sash is also very nice. The Demon Mother's Mask is utterly horrific, and I love the idea of a Cleric / Adept / Druid of Lamashtu using it to create Gnoll, Minotaur or Lizardfolk 'children' (although it sounds exponentially more hideous to make use of this feature as a *female* priest of Lamashtu!). The Pallid Crystal and Preklikin's Book of Cults are both very useful, and thematic. The Stinging Stiletto is screamingly cool, with the whole 'sworn vengeance' thing. Some really great stuff in here!

I admit that I nowadays I tend to err on the conservative side for building spell effects. It's always easier to tell a player, "that spell you sorta liked is going to be better from now on" than "that spell you always used is getting squashed because it's broken." I think you'd be safe bumping the area to 30 feet or the duration to 1 minute/level, but I'd try it in play at the listed values first just to see.

The art in the book is great (I especially like Erastil, Asmodeus, Norgorber, and Pharasma). But I notice that the text for three of the deities is at odds with their pictures. Shelyn is said to wear modest clothing, Calistria less so and yet in their pictures, it is Shelyn that is dressed like a temple prostitute. Likewise Desna is said to wear a "silken gown," yet her image is naked.

Do you plan to limit availability to your own webshop ? It's not an option for me given the customs tax...

Hi Waldo.be,

As yoda8myhead and Vic have said, we most certainly do sell outside our webstore.

The distributor through which Amazon gets our products received their shipment containing this item yesterday. I have no idea how long it takes for these items to get overseas. If you were a US customer, I would expect Amazon to be fulfilling this item within the next week.

I was going to suggest that you reorder it, but looking at the amazon.co.uk website, I see that's not an option.

I would be obliged if you could contact their customer service and tell them that they have made a mistake, and I will do what I can on my end.

Beautiful, simply beautiful. This is the first time a setting takes the "no one is safe" aproach to the gods themselves, going as far as they themselves not having all the answers, and fearing. The book is rather short but it has the advantage that it makes for a short reading before using it on your campaign.

Also I loved the art, but I still have a complain regarding Calistria. Sure, the art depicts her vengeful side quite well, but we see nothing of the enterprising, sexy, and otherwise elven nature in it.

LAzarius, Desna is well treated, i liked here really much, and yes i wm with Dogbert... we only see one face of Calistra, it would have been nicer to see why the elves consider her their main goddes due to their mercurial nature

I have a question.
One of my players is playing a cleric of Urgathoa.
When he cures a disease on himself it says he can take the disease into himself and become a carrier but suffer no ill effects.
I am assuming this is like 'Typhoid Mary'.

The question is; does he have control over his contagiousness?
Do the members of his party have to save every day vs. getting all the diseases' he has internalized?

The question is; does he have control over his contagiousness? Do the members of his party have to save every day vs. getting all the diseases' he has internalized?

I would suspect he has no control over the 'contagiousness' of the disease, but as long as the party members avoid too close of contact, they might be able to avoid most touch-based diseases. (Granted, it's going to be an issue if he has to touch them to heal them regularly, or if they have to grab each other to haul someone out of a pit or up a ledge or something....)

The choice disease to get infected with would be something blood-borne, so that it will generally only infect things that bite you.

Airborne diseases are going to pretty much be a threat to everyone, even if he wears a mask.

The question is; does he have control over his contagiousness? Do the members of his party have to save every day vs. getting all the diseases' he has internalized?

I would suspect he has no control over the 'contagiousness' of the disease, but as long as the party members avoid too close of contact, they might be able to avoid most touch-based diseases. (Granted, it's going to be an issue if he has to touch them to heal them regularly, or if they have to grab each other to haul someone out of a pit or up a ledge or something....)

The choice disease to get infected with would be something blood-borne, so that it will generally only infect things that bite you.

Airborne diseases are going to pretty much be a threat to everyone, even if he wears a mask.

That's pretty much what I was thinking. Maybe allow a feat to be able to turn the contagion on/off.

the cleric is the party's cook. I allow a cooking skill check (takes 1 hour to cook a meal) (DC 25) to gain a +1 morale bonus similar to "heroes feast".
A roll of 1 on the cooking check means the eaters get food poisoning.
He wants to take pale master as a prestige class (I'm not sure if I want to allow this abomination).

The cleric loved the write-up on Urgathoa. He is planning on building an undead army.
They just made 5th level yesterday. The first thing the group did was go to a local farm and use ghoul touch, then ghoul hunger, to create the raw material for his first animated skeletons.

To answer your question, yes, it's like Typhoid Mary--the cleric is a carrier but has no special control over the communicability of the disease. For the deadly diseases mentioned in the DMG, ordinary contact usually isn't enough to transfer it. Wear gloves and a mask if you want to be sure. But I suspect his allies will tend to have colds a lot ... which means they need the cleric around to keep curing them....

A small question. Where could I find the name of the bar and what city that bar is in that Cayden Cailcan was in when he agreed to go to take the test of the Starstone? I believe a pilgrimage is in order.

A small question. Where could I find the name of the bar and what city that bar is in that Cayden Cailcan was in when he agreed to go to take the test of the Starstone? I believe a pilgrimage is in order.